1.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company
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Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company is the rolling stock production division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Since beginning operations in 1906, the company has produced more than 90,000 Railroad cars, as indicated by the company name, the company mainly produces railroad vehicles. Recently Kawasaki has received orders from customers in countries, including Ireland. All products manufactured for the US rail market are sold through Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. another division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, because of substantial sales to the New York City Subway and various commuter lines, an overseas assembly plant has been established in Yonkers, New York. Another assembly plant in Lincoln, Nebraska produces fully completed cars and knocked down cars that can be completed at the Yonkers facility. K
2.
Whyte notation
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The notation counts the number of leading wheels, then the number of driving wheels, and finally the number of trailing wheels, groups of numbers being separated by dashes. Other classification schemes, like UIC classification and the French, Turkish and Swiss systems for steam locomotives, in the notation a locomotive with two leading axles in front, then three driving axles and then one trailing axle is classified as 4-6-2. Articulated locomotives such as Garratts, which are two locomotives joined by a common boiler, have a + between the arrangements of each engine. Thus a double Pacific type Garratt is a 4-6-2+2-6-4, for Garratt locomotives the + sign is used even when there are no intermediate unpowered wheels, e. g. the LMS Garratt 2-6-0+0-6-2. This is because the two units are more than just power bogies. They are complete engines, carrying fuel and water tanks, the + sign represents the bridge that links the two engines. Simpler articulated types such as Mallets, have a frame under a common boiler where there are no unpowered wheels between the sets of powered wheels. Typically, the frame is free to swing, whereas the rear frame is rigid with the boiler. Thus a Union Pacific Big Boy is a 4-8-8-4, four leading wheels, one group of eight driving wheels, another group of eight driving wheels and this numbering system is shared by duplex locomotives, which have powered wheel sets sharing a rigid frame. No suffix means a tender locomotive, T indicates a tank locomotive, in European practice, this is sometimes extended to indicate the type of tank locomotive, T means side tank, PT pannier tank, ST saddle tank, WT well tank. T+T means a tank locomotive that also has a tender, in Europe, the suffix R can signify rack or reversible, the latter being Bi-cabine locomotives used in France. The suffix F indicates a fireless locomotive, other suffixes have been used, including ng for narrow-gauge and CA or ca for compressed air. In Britain, small diesel and petrol locomotives are classified in the same way as steam locomotives. This may be followed by D for diesel or P for petrol, thus 0-6-0DE denotes a six-wheel diesel locomotive with electric transmission. Where the axles are coupled by chains or shafts or are individually driven, thus 4wPE indicates a four-wheel petrol locomotive with electric transmission. For large diesel locomotives the UIC classification is used, the main limitation of Whyte Notation is that it does not cover non-standard types such as Shay locomotives, which use geared trucks rather than driving wheels. The most commonly used system in Europe outside the United Kingdom is UIC classification, based on German practice, in American practice, most wheel arrangements in common use were given names, sometimes from the name of the first such locomotive built. For example, the 2-2-0 type arrangement is named Planet, after the 1830 locomotive on which it was first used, the most common wheel arrangements are listed below
3.
2-8-2
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This configuration of steam locomotive is most often referred to as a Mikado, frequently shortened to Mike. At times it was referred to on some railroads in the United States of America as the McAdoo Mikado and, during the Second World War. The 2-8-2 wheel arrangement allowed the firebox to be placed behind instead of above the driving wheels. This supported a greater rate of combustion and thus a capacity for steam generation. Allied with the driving wheel diameter which was possible when they did not impinge on the firebox. The first 2-8-2 locomotive was built in 1884 and it was originally named Calumet by Angus Sinclair, in reference to the 2-8-2 engines built for the Chicago & Calumet Terminal Railway. However, this name did not take hold, the wheel arrangement name Mikado originated from a group of Japanese type 9700 2-8-2 locomotives that were built by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the 3 ft 6 in gauge Nippon Railway of Japan in 1897. In the 19th century, the Emperor of Japan was often referred to as the Mikado in English, also, the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Mikado had premiered in 1885 and achieved great popularity in both Britain and America. The 2-8-2 was one of the more common configurations in the first half of the 20th century, before dieselisation. Between 1917 and 1944, nearly 2,200 of this type were constructed by the American Locomotive Company, Lima Locomotive Works and Baldwin, of all of the USRA designs, the Mikado proved to be the most popular. The total American production was about 14,000, of which 9,500 were for local customers, Mikado remained the type name until the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Seeking a more American name, MacArthur came into use to describe the type in the United States. After the war, the type name Mikado again became the most common for this locomotive type, Locomotives of this wheel arrangement saw service on all six populated continents. The 2-8-2 type was popular in North America, but was also used extensively in Continental Europe. In 1930, Vulcan Foundry supplied the Central Argentine Railway with twenty 2-8-2s and they were cross-compound locomotives with one high-pressure cylinder with a bore of 21 inches and one low-pressure cylinder with a bore of 31 1⁄2 inches, with a stroke of 26 inches. These 5 ft 6 in gauge locomotives had coupled wheels with a diameter of 55 1⁄2 inches, a Mikado was also the last new class of mainline steam locomotive to be introduced in Australia, the V class heavy freight locomotive of the Western Australian Government Railways of 1955. The 4-cylinder compound class 470, developed in 1914 by Karl Gölsdorf, was built for trains on mountain lines. From 1927, some of these locomotives were rebuilt to two-cylinder superheated steam locomotives and they were reclassified to class 39 from 1938 and remained in service until 1957
4.
Track gauge
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In rail transport, track gauge is the spacing of the rails on a railway track and is measured between the inner faces of the load-bearing rails. All vehicles on a network must have running gear that is compatible with the track gauge, as the dominant parameter determining interoperability, it is still frequently used as a descriptor of a route or network. There is a distinction between the gauge and actual gauge at some locality, due to divergence of track components from the nominal. Railway engineers use a device, like a caliper, to measure the actual gauge, the nominal track gauge is the distance between the inner faces of the rails. In current practice, it is specified at a distance below the rail head as the inner faces of the rail head are not necessarily vertical. In some cases in the earliest days of railways, the company saw itself as an infrastructure provider only. Colloquially the wagons might be referred to as four-foot gauge wagons, say and this nominal value does not equate to the flange spacing, as some freedom is allowed for. An infrastructure manager might specify new or replacement track components at a variation from the nominal gauge for pragmatic reasons. Track is defined in old Imperial units or in universally accepted metric units or SI units, Imperial units were established in United Kingdom by The Weights and Measures Act of 1824. In addition, there are constraints, such as the load-carrying capacity of axles. Narrow gauge railways usually cost less to build because they are lighter in construction, using smaller cars and locomotives, as well as smaller bridges, smaller tunnels. Narrow gauge is often used in mountainous terrain, where the savings in civil engineering work can be substantial. Broader gauge railways are generally expensive to build and require wider curves. There is no single perfect gauge, because different environments and economic considerations come into play, a narrow gauge is superior if ones main considerations are economy and tight curvature. For direct, unimpeded routes with high traffic, a broad gauge may be preferable, the Standard, Russian, and 46 gauges are designed to strike a reasonable balance between these factors. In addition to the general trade-off, another important factor is standardization, once a standard has been chosen, and equipment, infrastructure, and training calibrated to that standard, conversion becomes difficult and expensive. This also makes it easier to adopt an existing standard than to invent a new one and this is true of many technologies, including railroad gauges. The reduced cost, greater efficiency, and greater economic opportunity offered by the use of a common standard explains why a number of gauges predominate worldwide
5.
3 ft 6 in gauge railways
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Railways with a track gauge of 3 ft 6 in/1,067 mm were first constructed as horse-drawn wagonways. From the mid-nineteenth century, the 3 ft 6 in gauge became widespread in the British Empire, there are approximately 112,000 kilometres of 1,067 mm gauge track in the world. 1795 One of the first railways to use 3 ft 6 in gauge was the Little Eaton Gangway in England, other 3 ft 6 in gauge wagonways in England and Wales were also built in the early nineteenth century. 1862 In 1862 the Norwegian engineer Carl Abraham Pihl constructed the first 3 ft 6 in gauge railway in Norway,1865 In 1865 the Queensland Railways were constructed. Its 3 ft 6 in gauge was promoted by the Irish engineer Abraham Fitzgibbon,1868 In 1868 Charles Fox asks civil engineer Edmund Wragge to survey a 3 ft 6 in railway in Costa Rica. 1871 In 1871 the Canadian Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway,1872 In January 1872 Robert Fairlie advocated the use of 3 ft 6 in gauge in his book Railways Or No Railways, Narrow Gauge, Economy with Efficiency v. Broad Gauge, Costliness with Extravagance. 1872 also saw the opening of the first 3 ft 6 in gauge railway in Japan,1873 On 1 January 1873, the first 3 ft 6 in gauge railway was opened in New Zealand, constructed by the British firm John Brogden and Sons. Earlier built 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in and broad gauge railways were converted to the narrower gauge. Also in 1873 the Cape Colony adopted the 3 ft 6 in gauge, after conducting several studies in southern Europe, the Molteno Government selected the gauge as being the most economically suited for traversing steep mountain ranges. Beginning in 1873, under supervision of Railway engineer of the Colony William Brounger, the Cape Government Railways rapidly expanded and the gauge became the standard for southern Africa. 1876 Natal also converted its short 10 kilometres long Durban network from 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in broad gauge prior to commencing with construction of a network across the colony in 1876. Other new railways in Southern Africa, notably Mozambique, Bechuanaland, after 1876 In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century numerous 3 ft 6 in gauge tram systems were built in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. In Sweden, the gauge was nicknamed Blekinge gauge, as most of the railways in the province of Blekinge had this gauge. An alternate name for this gauge, Cape gauge, is named after the Cape Colony in what is now South Africa, the term Cape Gauge is used in other languages, such as the Dutch kaapspoor, German Kapspur, Norwegian kappspor and French voie cape. After metrication in the 1960s, the gauge was referred to in official South African Railways publications as 1065 mm instead of 1067 mm, the gauge is sometimes referred to as CAP gauge, after C. A. The gauge name Colonial Gauge was used in New Zealand, in Australia the imperial term 3 foot 6 inch is used. In some Australian publications the term medium gauge is also used, in Japan 1,067 mm gauge is referred to as kyōki, which directly translates as narrow gauge. It is defined in metric units, Cape Government Railways Heritage railway List of track gauges Norwegian gauge controversy South African Trains – A Pictorial Encyclopaedia Why Did Japan Choose the 36 Narrow Gauge
6.
Tractive force
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In railway engineering, the term tractive effort is often used synonymously with tractive force to describe the pulling or pushing capability of a locomotive. The published tractive force value for any vehicle may be theoretical—that is, the term tractive effort is often qualified as starting tractive effort, continuous tractive effort and maximum tractive effort. The product of μ and m is the factor of adhesion, Starting tractive effort, Starting tractive effort is the tractive force that can be generated at a standstill. This figure is important on railways because it determines the maximum weight that a locomotive can set into motion. Maximum tractive effort, Maximum tractive effort is defined as the highest tractive force that can be generated under any condition that is not injurious to the vehicle or machine. In most cases, maximum tractive effort is developed at low speed, due to the relationship between power, velocity and force, described as, P = vF or P/v = F tractive effort inversely varies with speed at any given level of available power. Continuous tractive effort is often shown in graph form at a range of speeds as part of a tractive effort curve, the period of time for which the maximum continuous tractive effort may be safely generated is usually limited by thermal considerations. Such as temperature rise in a traction motor, specifications of locomotives often include tractive effort curves, showing the relationship between tractive effort and velocity. The shape of the graph is shown at right, the line AB shows operation at the maximum tractive effort, the line BC shows continuous tractive effort that is inversely proportional to speed. Tractive effort curves often have graphs of rolling resistance superimposed on them—the intersection of the rolling resistance graph, once in motion, the train will develop additional drag as it accelerates due to aerodynamic forces, which increase with the square of the speed. Drag may also be produced at speed due to truck hunting, if acceleration continues, the train will eventually attain a speed at which the available tractive force of the locomotive will exactly offset the total drag, causing acceleration to cease. This top speed will be increased on a due to gravity assisting the motive power. Tractive effort can be calculated from a locomotives mechanical characteristics, or by actual testing with drawbar strain sensors. Power at rail is a term for the available power for traction, that is. An estimate for the effort of a single cylinder steam locomotive can be obtained from the cylinder pressure, cylinder area, stroke of the piston. The torque developed by the motion of the piston depends on the angle that the driving rod makes with the tangent of the radius on the driving wheel. For a more useful value an average value over the rotation of the wheel is used, the driving force is the torque divided by the wheel radius. Modern locomotives with roller bearings were probably underestimated, european designers used a constant of 0.6 instead of 0.85, so the two cannot be compared without a conversion factor
7.
Steam locomotive
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A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its pulling power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning combustible material—usually coal, wood, the steam moves reciprocating pistons which are mechanically connected to the locomotives main wheels. Both fuel and water supplies are carried with the locomotive, either on the locomotive itself or in wagons pulled behind, the first steam locomotive, made by Richard Trevithick, first operated on 21 February 1804, three years after the road locomotive he made in 1801. The first practical steam locomotive was built in 1812-13 by John Blenkinsop, Steam locomotives were first developed in Great Britain during the early 19th century and used for railway transport until the middle of the 20th century. From the early 1900s they were superseded by electric and diesel locomotives, with full conversions to electric. The majority of locomotives were retired from regular service by the 1980s, though several continue to run on tourist. The earliest railways employed horses to draw carts along railway tracks, in 1784, William Murdoch, a Scottish inventor, built a small-scale prototype of a steam road locomotive. An early working model of a rail locomotive was designed and constructed by steamboat pioneer John Fitch in the US during 1794. His steam locomotive used interior bladed wheels guided by rails or tracks, the model still exists at the Ohio Historical Society Museum in Columbus. The authenticity and date of this locomotive is disputed by some experts, accompanied by Andrew Vivian, it ran with mixed success. The design incorporated a number of important innovations that included using high-pressure steam which reduced the weight of the engine, Trevithick visited the Newcastle area in 1804 and had a ready audience of colliery owners and engineers. The visit was so successful that the railways in north-east England became the leading centre for experimentation. Trevithick continued his own steam propulsion experiments through another trio of locomotives, Four years later, the successful twin-cylinder locomotive Salamanca by Matthew Murray for the edge railed rack and pinion Middleton Railway debuted in 1812. Another well known early locomotive was Puffing Billy built 1813–14 by engineer William Hedley and it was intended to work on the Wylam Colliery near Newcastle upon Tyne. This locomotive is the oldest preserved, and is on display in the Science Museum. George Stephenson built Locomotion No.1 for the Stockton and Darlington Railway, north-east England, in 1829, his son Robert built in Newcastle The Rocket which was entered in and won the Rainhill Trials. This success led to the company emerging as the pre-eminent builder of locomotives used on railways in the UK, US. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened a year later making exclusive use of power for passenger
8.
Japanese Government Railways
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The Japanese Government Railways was the national railway system directly operated by the central government of Japan until 1949. It is a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the Japan Railways Group, the English name Japanese Government Railways was what the Ministry of Railways of Japan used to call its own Ministry Lines and sometimes the ministry itself as a railway operator. Other English names for the government railways include Imperial Japanese Government Railways and Imperial Government Railways and this article however covers the railways operated by the central government of Japan from 1872 to 1949 notwithstanding the official English name of the system of each era. By the end of World War II in 1945, the Japanese Government Railways operated on the main Japanese islands of Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, Shikoku, the railways in Taiwan and Korea were operated by the local Governor-General Offices and were not part of JGR. While the JGR was the major operator of intercity railways after the railway nationalization in 1906-07. The gauge of the railway was 1,067 mm with minor exceptions of 762 mm gauge lines, the first railway in Japan was operated by the imperial government in 1872. Early shareholders of the railway were members of the nobility, holding the major portion of capital, the governmental system was largely expanded by the promulgation of the Railway Nationalization Act in 1906. In 1920, the Ministry of Railways was established, in 1949, JGR was reorganized to become a state-owned public corporation named the Japanese National Railways. e. The table below shows the operators of the JGR. Translated names of ministries may not be official, names of the operating department generally mean department of railways or like. Since opening in 1872, the railway set fares for passengers in three classes, the transportation of freight was charged based on weight and class of goods. In 1872, passengers could choose from Upper, Middle and Lower classes, freight was shipped using one of five rates based on 100 kin of product. A1923 review of the shipping tariffs further explained that goods are divided into three shipping classes, koguchi atsukai, kashikini atsukai and tokushu atsukai and it was also possible to ship them via futsubin and kyukobin. It may, therefore, be said that the freight rates of the State-owned railways in Japan are of absolute uniformity. As Japan is a nation, it was noted that ocean-going vessels are a major source of competition for the freight business of the railway. The government mandated the use of automatic couplers on all cars on the system in July 1925, the system was transitioning from vacuum brakes to air brakes at this time, with most freight cars equipped with air brakes by April 1927. One of the roles of the Japanese Government Railways was to foreign tourists to Japan. In 1930, the government created the Board of Tourist Industry as a section of the Japanese Government Railways, the Board printed and distributed picture posters and English guidebooks overseas and encouraged development of resort hotels at home
9.
Japanese National Railways
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Japanese National Railways, abbreviated Kokutetsu or JNR, was the body which operated the national railway network of Japan from 1949 to 1987. As of June 1,1949, the date of establishment of JNR and this figure expanded to 21,421.1 km in 1981, but later reduced to 19,633.6 km as of March 31,1987, the last day of JNR. JNR operated both passenger and freight services, Shinkansen, the worlds first high-speed railway was debuted by JNR in 1964. Unlike railway operation, JNR Bus was not superior to local bus operators. The JR Bus companies are the successors of the bus operation of JNR, a number of unions represented workers at JNR, including the National Railway Workers Union, the National Railway Locomotive Engineers Union, and Doro-Chiba, a break-away group from Doro. Later, the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Transportation, the ministries used the name Japanese Government Railways to refer their network in English. During World War II, many JGR lines were dismantled to supply steel for the war effort, on June 1,1949 by a directive of the U. S. General HQ in Tokyo, JGR was reorganized into Japanese National Railways, JNR enjoyed many successes, including the October 1,1964 inauguration of high-speed Shinkansen service along the Tōkaidō Shinkansen line. However, JNR was not a corporation, its accounting was independent from the national budget. Rural sections without enough passengers began to press its management, pulling it further and further into debt, in 1983, JNR started to close its unprofitable 83 local lines. By 1987, JNRs debt was over ¥27 trillion and the company was spending ¥147 for every ¥100 earned. By an act of the Diet of Japan, on April 1,1987 JNR was privatized and divided into seven companies, six passenger and one freight. Long-term liabilities of JNR were taken over by the JNR Settlement Corporation and that corporation was subsequently disbanded on October 22,1998, and its remaining debts were transferred to the national budgets general accounting. By this time the debt has risen to ¥30 trillion, many lawsuits and labor commission cases were filed over the decades from the privatization in 1987. Kokuro and the National Railway Locomotive Engineers Union, both prominent Japanese railway unions, represented a number of the JNR workers, lists of workers to be employed by the new organizations were drawn up by JNR and given to the JR companies. There was substantial pressure on members to leave their unions, and within a year. Workers who had supported the privatization, or those who left Kokuro, were hired at substantially higher rates than Kokuro members. Around 7,600 workers were transferred in this way, and around 2,000 of them were hired by JR firms and this period ended in April 1990, and 1,047 were dismissed
10.
Slug
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Slug, or land slug, is a common name for any apparently shell-less terrestrial gastropod mollusc. The word slug is often used as part of the common name of any gastropod mollusc that has no shell. Various taxonomic families of land slugs form part of quite different evolutionary lineages. Thus, the families of slugs are not closely related. The shell-less condition has arisen many times independently during the evolutionary past, of the six orders of Pulmonata, two – the Onchidiacea and Soleolifera – solely comprise slugs. A third family, the Sigmurethra, contains various clades of snails, the taxonomy of this group is in the process of being revised in light of DNA sequencing. It appears that pulmonates are paraphyletic and basal to the opisthobranchs, the family Ellobiidae are also polyphyletic. E. The upper pair is light sensing and has eyespots at the ends, mantle On top of the slug, behind the head, is the saddle-shaped mantle, and under this are the genital opening and anus. On one side of the mantle is an opening, which is easy to see when open. This opening is known as the pneumostome, tail The part of a slug behind the mantle is called the tail. Keel Some species of slugs, for example Tandonia budapestensis, have a prominent ridge running over their back along the middle of the tail and this ridge is called a keel. Foot The bottom side of a slug, which is flat, is called the foot, like almost all gastropods, a slug moves by rhythmic waves of muscular contraction on the underside of its foot. It simultaneously secretes a layer of mucus that it travels on, around the edge of the foot in some taxa is a structure called the foot fringe. Vestigial shell Most slugs retain a remnant of their shell, which is usually internalized and this organ generally serves as storage for calcium salts, often in conjunction with the digestive glands. An internal shell is present in the Limacidae and Parmacellidae, adult Philomycidae, Onchidiidae and Veronicellidae lack shells. Slugs bodies are made up mostly of water and, without a full-sized shell and they must generate protective mucus to survive. Many species are most active just after rain because of the moist ground, in drier conditions, they hide in damp places such as under tree bark, fallen logs, rocks and man-made structures, such as planters, to help retain body moisture. Like all other gastropods, they undergo torsion during development, Slugs produce two types of mucus, one is thin and watery, and the other thick and sticky
11.
Hideo Shima
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Hideo Shima was a Japanese engineer and the driving force behind the building of the first bullet train. Shima was born in Osaka in 1901, and educated at the Tokyo Imperial University and his father was part of a group of officials that had built up Japans emerging railroad industry. Hideo Shima joined the Ministry of Railways in 1925, where, as a rolling-stock engineer, Shima also participated in the design and fabrication of a standard automobile which was mass-produced when World War II broke out. This experience helped in the growth of the Japanese automobile industry after the war. The Hachiko Line derailment in 1947 was a point in his career. JGR used the opportunity to obtain permission from SCAP to modify all wooden cars to a steel construction within a few years. Shima was also involved in the design and development of the Class C62 and Class D62 steam locomotives for passenger trains and heavy-duty freight trains. As Shimas career progressed, he became the head of the railways rolling stock department in 1948. He worked briefly for Sumitomo Metal Industries, but was asked by Shinji Sogō, in addition to its innovative propulsion system, the shinkansen also introduced features like air suspension and air-conditioning. Shimas team designed the sleek cone-shaped front from which the train got its name. The cost of the first Shinkansen line also cost Shima his job, in 1969, Shima began a second career, becoming the head of the National Space Development Agency of Japan, where he pushed the development of hydrogen engines to power rockets. Hideo Shima was honored by the Government of Japan when the Emperor presented him with the Order of Cultural Merit, as one of the most prominent engineers in post-war Japan, he has also been awarded numerous international prizes and honors, including the Elmer A. Sperry Award by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the James Watt International Medal by the British Institution of Mechanical Engineers, hideo Shima is survived by three sons and a daughter. Sperry Award List James Watt International Gold Medal Recipients
12.
Sakhalin
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Sakhalin is a large Russian island in the North Pacific Ocean, lying between 45°50 and 54°24 N. It is Russias largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast, Sakhalin, which is similar in shape to and about one third the size of Honshu, is just off the east coast of Russia, and just north of Japan. The population was 497,973 as of the 2010 census, made up of mostly ethnic Russians, the indigenous peoples of the island are the Ainu, Oroks and Nivkhs. Sakhalin was claimed by both Russia and Japan over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries and these disputes sometimes involved military conflict and divisions of the island between the two powers. Most Ainu on Sakhalin moved to Hokkaido, only 43 kilometres to the south, the island is known in Russian as Сахалин. In Chinese, it is known as Kuye, in Japanese, it is known as Karafuto or, borrowing the Russian appellation, as Saharin. The spelling Saghalien may be found in historical texts, the European names derive from misinterpretation of a Manchu name ᠰ᠊ᠠᡴᡥᠠᠯᡳᡟᠠ᠊ᠠ ᡠ᠊ᠯᠠ ᠠ᠊ᠩᡤᠠ ᡥ᠊ᠠᡩᡩᠠ sahaliyan ula angga hada. Sahaliyan, the word that has borrowed in the form of Sakhalin. Its Japanese name, Karafuto, supposedly comes from Ainu kamuy kar put ya mosir, the name was used by the Japanese during their possession of its southern part. Sakhalin was inhabited in the Neolithic Stone Age, a later population familiar with bronze left traces in earthen walls and kitchen-middens on Aniva Bay. Among the indigenous people of Sakhalin are the Ainu in the half, the Oroks in the central region. Chinese chronicled the Xianbei and Hezhe tribes, who had a way of life based on fishing, the Mongol Empire made some efforts to subjugate the native people of Sakhalin starting in about 1264 CE. According to Yuanshi, the history of the Yuan dynasty, the Mongols militarily subdued the Guwei. The Nivkhs and the Oroks were subjugated earlier, whereas the Ainu people submitted to the Mongols later, following their subjugation, Gǔwéi elders made tributary visits to Yuan posts located at Wuleihe, Nanghar, and Boluohe until the end of the Mongol Yuan dynasty in China. In the early Ming dynasty, the relationship was re-established. Chinese of the Ming dynasty knew the island as Kuyi or Kuwu, there is some evidence that the Ming eunuch Admiral Yishiha reached Sakhalin in 1413 during one of his expeditions to the lower Amur, and granted Ming titles to a local chieftain. Under the Ming dynasty, commerce in Northeast Asia and Sakhalin was placed under the system for subjugated peoples, a Ming boundary stone still exists on the island. In an early attempt, a Japanese settlement was established at Ootomari on Sakhalins southern end in 1679
13.
Karafuto Prefecture
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Karafuto Prefecture, commonly called South Sakhalin, was the Japanese administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on southern Sakhalin island from 1905 to 1945. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth, the portion of the south of 50°N became a colony of Japan in 1905. In 1907 the prefecture of Karafuto was established, with its capital at Ōtomari in 1905, in 1945, with the defeat of Japan in World War II, Karafuto was occupied by Soviet troops and its Japanese administration ceased to function. Karafuto Prefecture was formally abolished as an entity on June 1,1949. Since 1951, the part of Sakhalin has been a part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Soviet Union. The Japanese name Karafuto comes from Ainu kamuy kar put ya mosir and it was formerly known as Kita Ezo, meaning Northern Ezo. When Japanese administered the prefecture, Karafuto usually meant Southern Sakhalin only, for convenience, the northern part of the island was sometimes called Sagaren. In Russian, the island was named Sakhalin or Saghalien. It is from Manchu sahaliyan ula angga hada, meaning peak of the mouth of Amur River, the southern part was simply called Yuzhny Sakhalin. In Korean, the name is Sahallin or Hwataedo, with the name in use during Korea under Japanese rule. Japanese settlement on Sakhalin dates to at least the Edo period, Ōtomari was established in 1679, and cartographers of the Matsumae domain mapped the island, and named it Kita-Ezo. Japanese cartographer and explorer Mamiya Rinzō established that Sakhalin was an island through his discovery of what is now named Mamiya Strait in 1809, the 1855 Treaty of Shimoda acknowledged that both Russia and Japan had joint rights of occupation to Sakhalin, without setting a definite territorial demarcation. As the island settled in the 1860s and 1870s, this ambiguity led to increasing friction between settlers. In the Treaty of Saint Petersburg, Japan agreed to give up its claims on Sakhalin in exchange for undisputed ownership of the Kuril Islands, Russia retained the northern portion, although the Japanese were awarded favorable commercial rights, including fishing and mineral extraction rights in the north. In 1907, Karafuto Prefecture was officially established, with the capital at Ōtomari, in 1908, the capital was relocated to Toyohara. In 1920, Karafuto was officially designated an external territory of Japan, in 1943, the status of Karafuto was upgraded to that of an inner land, making it an integral part of the Empire of Japan. In August 1945, after repudiating the Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact, the Soviet Union invaded Karafuto, the Soviet attack started on August 11,1945, three weeks before the surrender of Japan. Although the Soviet Red Army outnumbered the Japanese by three to one, they advanced only slowly due to strong Japanese resistance, Japanese resistance grew weaker after this landing
14.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
15.
Railway system of the Soviet Union
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The Soviet Railways was the state owned national railway system of the Soviet Union, headquartered in Moscow. The railway started operations in December 1922, shortly after the formation of the USSR and it operated until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. The Soviet Railways were the largest unified railway in the world, SZD greatly upgraded and expanded the Russian Imperial Railways to meet the demands of the Union. The railway was directly under the control of the Ministry of Railways in the Soviet Union, after the dissolution of the USSR, the Soviet Railways were split into 14 different national railways belonging to the respective countries. However, after the end of the SZD, rail transport in the former USSR states greatly declined and have not recovered to their efficiency to this day. The Russian Railways are widely considered as the successor of the SZhD. Other successors inherit the Soviet infrastructure in Central Asia
16.
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
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Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is a city in Sakhalin island, and the administrative center of Sakhalin Oblast, Russia. It was called Vladimirovka from 1882 to 1905, then Toyohara ) from 1905 to 1946, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk began as a small Russian settlement called Vladimirovka, founded by convicts in 1882. The Treaty of Portsmouth in 1905, which brought an end to the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, Vladimirovka was renamed Toyohara, and was the prefect capital of Japanese Karafuto Prefecture. After the end of World War II, the Japanese portion of Sakhalin island was occupied by Soviet troops, ownership of the city was transferred to the Soviet Union and it was renamed Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. Town status was granted to it in 1946, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is the administrative center of the oblast. As a municipal division, the city of oblast significance of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is incorporated as Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Urban Okrug, due to significant investment from oil companies like ExxonMobil and Shell, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk has experienced substantial economic growth. Although this growth has occurred in the northern part of the island. The demand for natural resources by the Japanese, Chinese, there has been significant criticism, including from Presidential Envoy Kamil Iskhakov, that Sakhalin is not caring for its citizens. Despite sizable gas deposits and incoming investments from gas companies, the administration does not yet have plans for the installation of gas services on the island. The oblast also continues to have the highest rate of crime in all of Russia. Out of the few remaining Japanese buildings in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, one now functions as the local museum. The city is served by the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Airport, the city is also the hub for the islands narrow gauge railway network, the Sakhalin Railway, built under the Japanese administration in the early 20th century. In addition to railways, the town is also a hub for roadways, such as the A-391, plekhanov Branch of Far East law institute Most residents are ethnic Russians, but there also exists a sizable population of Koreans. Of the 43,000 Sakhalin Koreans, half are estimated to live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, also smaller numbers of indigenous minorities, such as Ainu, Nivkhs and Oroks can be found. The Latin Catholic Church of St. James in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is the episcopal see of the missionary Apostolic Prefecture of Yuzhno Sakhalinsk. The city is located on the Susuya River and it is the largest city on the island, and the only one with more than 100,000 inhabitants. The straight-line distance to Moscow is 10,417 kilometers, scuba diving and recreating on the seacoast is permitted only in places defined by the Border Guard. The climate is continental with mild summers and cold winters
17.
Mitsubishi
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The Mitsubishi Group is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Its total revenue is about 1. 4% percent of Japans GDP and it is historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 to 1947 and was disbanded during the occupation of Japan following World War II. The former constituents of the continue to share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark. The three main companies in the group are The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the Mitsubishi company was established as a shipping firm by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870. In 1873, its name was changed to Mitsubishi Shokai, the name Mitsubishi consists of two parts, mitsu meaning three and hishi meaning water caltrop, and hence rhombus, which is reflected in the companys logo. It is also translated as three diamonds, Mitsubishi was established in 1870, two years after the Meiji Restoration, with shipping as its core business. Its diversification was mostly into related fields, the experience of overseas shipping led the firm to enter into a trading business. In 1881, the company bought into coal mining by acquiring the Takashima Mine, followed by Hashima Island in 1890 and they also diversified into shipbuilding, banking, insurance, warehousing, and trade. Later diversification carried the organization into such sectors as paper, steel, glass, electrical equipment, aircraft, oil, as Mitsubishi built a broadly based conglomerate, it played a central role in the modernization of Japanese industry. After moving to Japan, they designed the Mitsubishi 1MT, Mitsubishi B1M, Mitsubishi 1MF, the merchant fleet entered into a period of diversification that would eventually result in the creation of three entities, Mitsubishi Bank was founded in 1919. After its mergers with the Bank of Tokyo in 1996, and UFJ Holdings in 2004, Mitsubishi Atomic Industry, a nuclear power company. Mitsubishi Chemical, the largest Japan-based chemicals company Mitsubishi Power Systems, during the Second World War, Mitsubishi manufactured military aircraft under the direction of Dr. Jiro Horikoshi. The Mitsubishi A6M was a primary Japanese naval fighter in World War II and it was used by Imperial Japanese Navy pilots throughout the war, including in kamikaze attacks during the later stages. Allied pilots were astounded by its maneuverability, and it was successful in combat until the Allies devised tactics to utilize their advantage in armor. Mitsubishi made use of forced labor during this tenure, laborers included allied POWs, as well as Chinese citizens. In the post-war period, lawsuits and demands for compensations were presented against the Mitsubishi Corporation, on July 24,2015, the company agreed to formally apologize for this wartime labor, and compensated 3765 Chinese laborers who were conscripted to Mitsubishi Mining during the war. On July 19,2015, the company apologized for using American soldiers as slave laborers during World War II, Mitsubishi was involved in the opium trade in China during this period. Mitsubishi was among a number of major Japanese companies targeted for dissolution during the occupation of Japan and it was broken up into a large number of smaller enterprises whose stock was offered to the public
18.
Taiwan Railways Administration
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Since Taiwan is heavily urbanized with a high population density, railways have played an important part in domestic transportation since the late 19th century. Most of the lines are fully electrified and service is generally efficient. In 2011, the system carried 205.8 million passengers, the agencys headquarters are in Zhongzheng District, Taipei. The agency is headed by Chieh-shen Lu, Director-General of Taiwan Railway Administration, Railway services between Keelung and Hsinchu began in 1891 under China’s Qing Dynasty. Completely rebuilt and substantially expanded under the Taiwan Governor-General Railways operated by Formosa’s Japanese colonial government, similarities between the TRA and the Japan Railways companies can be noted in signal aspects, signage, track layout, fare controls, station architecture, and operating procedures. As Japan’s southern base during WWII, Taiwan’s railways suffered significant damage by Allied air raids, the Taiwan Railways Administration was established on March 5,1948 to reconstruct and operate railway infrastructure, with Lang Chung-hsiung as its first Director-General. With ~13,500 employees, TRA is a government organization under Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communication that directly operates 682 route miles of 3’6” gauge railways, three mainlines form a complete circle around the island. Southern Link Mainline, ECML Hualien-Taitung, and three branches are non-electrified single-track with passing sidings. Since the early 1980s, conventional railway capital improvements are funded and managed by the MOTC’s Railway Reconstruction Bureau. Taiwan’s challenging terrain meant all lines feature extensive tunneling and long bridges, double-tracking frequently requires construction of parallel single-track railroads or bypass tunnels on new alignments. The US$14.5 billion standard gauge high-speed rail line was built and operated by a separate public-private partnership under a 35-year concession, although TRA operates all commuter rail, other quasi-private organizations operate subways in Taipei and Kaohsiung. Local and intercity passenger services operate at 95. 3% on-time performance,2008 annual passenger ridership was 179 million, generating US$434 million in revenue. Commuter trains carry 76% of riders, TRA’s loose-car and unit-train bulk freight services haul mainly aggregates, cement, and coal. In 2008,9.5 million tons of freight generated US$28.6 million in revenue, Limited container services operate between Port of Hualien and suburban Taipei, but loading gauge restrictions preclude piggyback operations. During typhoon season, small trucks are carried on flatcars when highways are closed by flooding or mudslides, in years past, an extensive shipper-owned light railway network handled freight services throughout Taiwan and once boasted 1,800 route miles. Largely abandoned today, it served important industries including sugar, logging, coal, salt, unlike JR East and Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway, revenues from ancillary businesses accounts for only 17. 8% of TRA’s revenues. TRA’s estimated farebox recovery ratio is ~40%, staffing costs, pension benefits, capital debt, changing demographics, highway competition, and low fare policies resulted in accumulated deficits nearing US$3.3 billion. Locally considered large and problematic, TRA’s deficits pale in comparison to those incurred by European and U. S. transit agencies, like JNR and U. S. transit authorities, interest payments on long-term debt represents a significant burden for TRA
19.
Tender (rail)
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A tender or coal-car is a special rail vehicle hauled by a steam locomotive containing its fuel and water. Steam locomotives consume large quantities of water compared to the quantity of fuel, a locomotive that pulls a tender is called a tender locomotive. Locomotives that do not have tenders and carry all their fuel, a brake tender is a tender that is heavy and used to provide greater braking efficiency. The largest steam locomotives are coupled by a drawbar to a tender that carries the water. The fuel source used depends on what is available locally. In the UK and parts of Europe, a supply of coal made this the obvious choice from the earliest days of the steam engine. Until around 1850 in the United States, the vast majority of burned wood until most of the eastern forests were cleared. Subsequently coal burning became more widespread, and wood burners were restricted to rural, according to Steamlocomotive. com, By the mid-1800s, most steam locomotive tenders consisted of a fuel bunker surrounded by a U shaped water jacket. The overall shape of the tender was usually rectangular, the bunker which held the coal was sloped downwards toward the locomotive providing easier access to the coal. The ratio of water to fuel capacities of tenders was normally based on two water-stops to each fuel stop because water was readily available than fuel. One pound of coal could turn six pounds of water to steam, therefore, tender capacity ratios were normally close to 14 tons of coal per 10,000 gallons of water. The water supply in a tender was replenished at water stops, refilling the tender is the job of the fireman, who is responsible for maintaining the locomotives fire, steam pressure, and supply of fuel and water. Water carried in the tender must be forced into the boiler, early engines used pumps driven by the motion of the pistons. Later, steam injectors replaced the pump while some engines used turbopumps, in the UK, the USA and France, water troughs were provided on some main lines to allow locomotives to replenish their water supply while moving. The fuel and water capacities of a tender are usually proportional to the rate at which they are consumed, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad used track pans on many of their routes, allowing locomotives to pick up water at speed. The result was that the tanks on these tenders were proportionally much smaller. In the UK water troughs were used by three of the Big Four railways, the Southerns decision to electrify its routes into London with a third rail system also made the installation of water troughs impractical. Only on the former London and South Western Railway routes west of Salisbury, rather than install troughs the L&SWR equipped its express locomotives with special high-capacity tenders with a water capacity of 4,000 gallons running on a pair of twin-axle bogies
20.
East Japan Railway Company
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East Japan Railway Company is a major passenger railway company in Japan and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English. The companys headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, JR East was incorporated on 1 April 1987 after being spun off from the government-run Japanese National Railways. Following the breakup, JR East ran the operations on former JNR lines in the Greater Tokyo Area, the Tohoku region and its railway lines primarily serve Kanto and Tohoku regions, along with adjacent areas in Koshinetsu region and Shizuoka prefectures. JR East operates all of the Shinkansen, high-speed rail lines and these lines have sections inside the Tokyo Suburban Area designated by JR East. This does not necessarily mean that the lines are fully inside the Greater Tokyo Area, JR East aims to reduce its carbon emissions by half, as measured over the period 1990-2030. This would be achieved by increasing the efficiency of trains and company-owned thermal power stations, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has stated that JR Easts official union is a front for an organized crime syndicate called the Japan Revolutionary Communist League. An investigation of this is ongoing, the East Japan Railway Culture Foundation is a non-profit organization established by JR East for the purpose of developing a richer railway culture. The Railway Museum in Saitama is operated by the foundation, EJRC has bid for the London Midland franchise in the United Kingdom. Winners will be announced on June 2017 and will start operating on October 2017, East Japan Railway Company Web Site JR East official apology for Inaho No.14 accident on 25 December 2005 Company history books. Wiki collection of works on East Japan Railway Company
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West Japan Railway Company
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West Japan Railway Company, also referred to as JR-West, is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka, Hokuriku Shinkansen Sanyo Shinkansen Hakata Minami Line JR-Wests highest-grossing line is the Sanyo Shinkansen high-speed rail line between Osaka and Fukuoka. The Sanyo Shinkansen alone accounts for about 40% of JR-Wests passenger revenues, the company also operates Hakata Minami Line, a short commuter line with Shinkansen trains in Fukuoka. The Urban Network is JR-Wests name for its rail lines in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area. These lines together comprise 610 km of track, have 245 stations, Urban Network stations are equipped to handle ICOCA fare cards. Train control on these lines is highly automated, and during peak hours trains run as often as two minutes. JR-Wests Urban Network competes with a number of commuter rail operators around Osaka, the Big 4 being Hankyu Railway/Hanshin Railway, Keihan Railway, Kintetsu. JR-Wests market share in the region is roughly equal to that of the Big 4 put together, largely due to its comprehensive network and those in italics are announcement names. These lines mainly handle business and leisure travel between cities and rural areas in western Japan. They account for about 20% of the companys passenger revenues, fukuchiyama Line Includes JR Takarazuka Line. Hakubi Line Hokuriku Main Line Includes Biwako Line, honshi-Bisan Line, Chayamachi — Kojima Nicknamed Seto-Ōhashi Line Kansai Main Line, Kameyama — JR Namba Includes Yamatoji Line. Kisei Main Line, Shingū — Wakayamashi Includes Kinokuni Line, sanin Main Line Includes Sagano Line. Sanyō Main Line, Kobe — Shimonoseki, Hyōgo — Wadamisaki, takayama Main Line, Inotani — Toyama Tōkaidō Main Line, Maibara — Kobe Includes Biwako Line, JR Kyoto Line, and JR Kobe Line. Initially, it was a wholly owned subsidiary of the JNR Settlement Corporation, for the first four years of its existence, JR-West leased its highest-revenue line, the Sanyō Shinkansen, from the separate Shinkansen Holding Corporation. JR-West purchased the line in October 1991 at a cost of 974.1 billion JPY in long-term payable debt, JNRSC sold 68. 3% of JR-West in an initial public offering on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in October 1996. JRTT offered all of its shares in JR-West to the public in an international IPO in 2004, JR-West is now listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Nagoya Stock Exchange, Osaka Securities Exchange and the Fukuoka Stock Exchange
22.
Kyoto Railway Museum
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The Kyoto Railway Museum is a railway museum in Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The original Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum opened in 1972, but was expanded and modernized in 2016, the museum is owned by West Japan Railway Company and is operated by Transportation Culture Promotion Foundation. The museum is divided into the exhibition areas, including the 20-track roundhouse built in 1914. Promenade Main Hall Twilight Plaza Roundhouse Former Nijō Station This is a building completed in April 2016. The roundhouse was built surrounding a turntable and it is an Important Cultural Property designated by the government of Japan as the oldest reinforced-concrete car shed extant in Japan. As of April 2016 a total of 53 rolling stock items are on display at the museum, the museum was opened by Japanese National Railways on October 10,1972 commemorating the centennial of the railway in Japan. When JNR was divided into regional companies in 1987, the museum was inherited by JR West, on 19 December 2012, JR West officially announced its plans to modernize and expand the Umekoji museum. It was announced on 18 December 2013 that the museum would be renamed the Kyoto Railway Museum. The construction cost was 7.0 billion yen, the expansion became necessary due to the aging facilities of the Modern Transportation Museum in Osaka. The Modern Transportation Museum closed on 6 April 2014, and the exhibits housed there were moved to the new railway museum in Kyoto. The museum is approximately 20 minutes on foot from Kyoto Station
23.
Tsuyama Station
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Tsuyama Station is a railway station in the city of Tsuyama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company. Tsuyama Station is served by the Kishin Line and Tsuyama Line, see the line articles for the stopping patterns of the rapid trains of the Kishin Line and the Inbi Line. The station opened on 21 August 1923, with the privatization of Japanese National Railways on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR-West. List of railway stations in Japan Official website
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Asahikawa, Hokkaido
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Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture and the second-largest city in Hokkaido and it has been a core city since April 1,2000. The city is well known for the Asahiyama Zoo and Asahikawa ramen. On July 31,2011, the city had an population of 352,105, with 173,961 households. The total area is 747.6 km2, the Ainu called the Asahi River Chiu Pet meaning River of Waves, but it was misunderstood as Chup Pet meaning Sun River, and so it came to be called Asahi River in Japanese. On August 1,1922, Asahikawa was founded as Asahikawa City, as the central city in northern Hokkaido, Asahikawa has been influential in industry and commerce. There are about 130 rivers and streams including the Ishikari River and Chūbetsu River, and over 740 bridges in the city. Asahibashi, a bridge over Ishikari River, has one of the symbols of Asahikawa since its completion in 1932. Every winter, the Asahikawa Winter Festival is held on the bank of the Ishikari River, making use of Asahikawas cold climate, on January 25,1902, a weather station recorded −41 °C, the lowest temperature in Japanese history. Due to its climate and location surrounded by mountains, there are ski resorts in the outskirts of the city. Asahikawa was populated by mainland Japanese in the Meiji period as a tondenhei, Kamikawa District set up under Ishikari Province with the villages of Asahikawa, Nagayama and Kamui in 1890. 1900 Asahikawa Village becomes Asahikawa Town 1914 Asahikawa Town becomes Asahikawa-ku Asahikawa was elevated to city status in 1922, Asahikawa thrived as a military city before World War II, when the IJA 7th Division was posted there. Today, the 2nd Division of the Northern Army of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force is headquartered in Asahikawa, Asahikawa winters are long and cold, with average monthly temperatures from December through March failing to transcend the freezing point. The city also sees an extraordinary amount of snowfall, averaging just under 7.6 m of snow per year, summers are generally warm and humid in Asahikawa, with average high temperatures in the warmest months hovering around 26 °C. Spring and fall are short and transitional in the city. Japans lowest temperature ever was recorded here, Asahikawa developed as an industrial center in Hokkaido after World War II. The city is noted for its lumber and brewing industries, as well as the production of furniture, the airport was first proposed by the Asahikawa City Council in 1955, opened in 1961, and daily flights to Tokyo started in 1970. The present terminal of Asahikawa Airport opened in 2000 and it is a second class airport, and also a single-runway regional airport
25.
Amagasaki
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Amagasaki is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1,1916 and its population is around 460,000, below its peak of over 554,000 in 1971. As of 2012, the city has an population of 450,244. The total area is 49.77 km², during the Edo period, the Amagasaki Domain had its administrative headquarters at Amagasaki Castle here. Amagasaki is the hometown of comedy duo Downtown stars Masatoshi Hamada and it is also the hometown of Formula 1 driver Kamui Kobayashi, Chiyu, the bassist of SuG, author Koushun Takami and Heath, bassist of X Japan. Toshiaki Nishioka, a world champion boxer, is also from this area. See Amagasaki rail crash for details, Amagasaki is a major part of the Hanshin Industrial Region. Businesses headquartered in the city include manufacturers such as Osaka Titanium Technologies, the value of manufactured goods shipments in Amagasaki was 1,288 billion yen in 2004. The city has a North Korean school, Amagasaki Korean Elementary and it previously had a second school, Amagasaki East Korean Elementary School
26.
Yukuhashi, Fukuoka
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Yukuhashi is a satellite city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, about 25 kilometers southeast of Kitakyushu. The city was founded on October 10,1954, as of October 1,2016, the city has a population of 70,601 and a population density of 1,000 persons per km². The total area is 69.83 km², the hamlet of Maeda in Yukuhashi was the birthplace of Suematsu Kencho
27.
Sapporo
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Sapporo is the fourth largest city in Japan by population, and the largest city on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Located in Ishikari Subprefecture, it is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture, the city is also home to Sapporo Brewery and the white chocolate biscuits called shiroi koibito. Before its establishment, the occupied by Sapporo was home to a number of indigenous Ainu settlements. In 1866, at the end of the Edo period, construction began on a canal through the area, the settlements name was taken from the Ainu language sat poro pet, and can be translated as dry, great river. As a result, it was determined that a new capital on the Ishikari Plain should be established, the plain itself provided an unusually large expanse of flat, well drained land which is relatively uncommon in the otherwise mountainous geography of Hokkaido. During 1870–1871, Kuroda Kiyotaka, vice-chairman of the Hokkaido Development Commission, as a result, Horace Capron, Secretary of Agriculture under President Ulysses S. Grant, became an oyatoi gaikokujin and was appointed as a special advisor to the commission. Construction began around Odori Park, which remains as a green ribbon of recreational land bisecting the central area of the city. The city closely followed a plan with streets at right-angles to form city blocks. Edwin Dun came to Sapporo to establish sheep and cattle ranches in 1876 and he also demonstrated pig raising and the making of butter, cheese, ham and sausage. He once went back to the US in 1883 but returned to Japan as a secretary of government. William S. Clark, who was the president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College and he taught academic subjects in science and lectured on the Bible as an ethics course, introducing Christian principles to the first entering class of the College. In 1880, the area of Sapporo was renamed as Sapporo-ku. That year the Hōheikan, a hotel and reception facility for visiting officials and it was later moved to Nakajima Park where it remains today. Two years later, with the abolition of the Kaitaku-shi, Hokkaidō was divided into three prefectures, Hakodate, Sapporo, and Nemuro, the name of the urban district in Sapporo remained Sapporo-ku, while the rest of the area in Sapporo-ku was changed to Sapporo-gun. The office building of Sapporo-ku was also located in the urban district, Sapporo, Hakodate, and Nemuro Prefectures were abolished in 1886, and Hokkaidō government office building, an American-neo-baroque-style structure with red bricks, constructed in 1888. The last squad of the Tondenhei, the soldiers pioneering Hokkaido, settled in the place where the area of Tonden in Kita-ku, Sapporo-ku administered surrounding Sapporo-gun until 1899, when the new district system was announced. After that year, Sapporo-ku was away from the control of Sapporo-gun, the ku enforced from 1899 was an autonomy which was a little bigger than towns, and smaller than cities. In Hokkaido at that time, Hakodate-ku and Otaru-ku also existed, in 1907, the Tohoku Imperial University was established in Sendai Miyagi Prefecture, and Sapporo Agricultural College was controlled by the University
28.
Nagareyama
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Nagareyama is a city located in northern Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of April 2012, the city has an population of 166,493. The total area is 35.28 km2, Nagareyama is located in the far northwestern corner of Chiba Prefecture, bordered by the Edogawa River to the west. Chiba Prefecture Matsudo Kashiwa Noda Saitama Prefecture Misato Yoshikawa During the Edo period, after the Meiji Restoration, Nagareyama Town was created in Inba District, Chiba Prefecture on April 1,1889. On January 1,1952, it merged with neighboring Edogawa Town to form a new Nagareyama Town, Nagareyama became a city on January 1,1967. Nagareyama is a commercial center and a bedroom community for nearby Chiba. The city is noted for its production of mirin, a sweetened sake used for cooking. After the animes release, the characters have become the official tourism concierge
29.
Ube, Yamaguchi
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Ube is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan on the Seto Inland Sea. The city was founded on November 1,1921, as of October 2016, the city has an estimated population of 168,398 and a population density of 590 persons per km2. The total area is 287.69 square kilometres, on November 1,2004, the town of Kusunoki was merged into Ube. Its industrial base is in chemicals, concrete, and steel, the presence of Ube Industries in the citys economy is significant. Previously a coal mining town, the city has developed a policy to improve its environment. Former prime minister of Japan Naoto Kan was born in Ube, Ube publicizes itself as a city of greenery, flowers, and sculptures. Tokiwa Park is the centerpiece of this marketing, as it covers an area near the center of the city and houses a large number of modern. The sculptures can be found around the city, a sculpture competition is held biennially to provide new additions. One of the attractions of the park is a great white pelican called Katta-kun, so named after his parents who were from Kolkata. Born in the park in 1985, he became famous as he began visiting schools in the vicinity by himself, There are many pelicans and swans in the park, including black swans. There is also a mining museum with a view over the city. Yamaguchi Ube Airport The city is served by Yamaguchi Prefectures only airport, Yamaguchi Ube Airport, with flights to. Shinkansen There are no Shinkansen stations in this city, Ube Station is farther inland and is located in a more suburban area known as Kōnan. Yamaguchi University School of Medicine Faculty of Engineering Ube Frontier University The city formerly had a North Korean school, Ube Korean Elementary and Junior High School. The city is home to one of the best rated English foreign language schools, Ube Gaigo Center, nicholas Greenberg, a very contributive philanthropist to countries in South East Asia was a teacher and Assistant Manager at this school. Ube Gaigo Center is considered the number one eikaiwa in Yamaguchi prefecture and top 100 in Japan by various magazines, Ube Industries is headquartered and has major plants in Ube
30.
Iwamizawa, Hokkaido
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Iwamizawa is a city in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of Sorachi Subprefecture, as of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 90,969 and the density of 189 persons per km². The total area is 481.10 km2, on March 27,2006, the town of Kurisawa, and the village of Kita merged into Iwamizawa. The name of Iwamizawa is derived from Japanese word Yuamisawa. Yuami and sawa means Bathing, Iwamizawa was developed as a hub of land transportation around Iwamizawa Station. 1906 - Iwamizawa village became Iwamizawa town,1943 - Iwamizawa town became Iwamizawa city. 2006 - Kurisawa town and Kita village were merged into Iwamizawa city, Iwamizawa has a humid continental climate with warm summers and cold winters. Precipitation is significant throughout the year, but is heaviest from August to October, in the past, Horonai Line and Manji Line ran from Iwamizawa. Youth delegates are sent from one to the other. Canby, Oregon Official website Sightseeing information website
31.
Tatsuno, Nagano
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Tatsuno is a town located in Kamiina District in south-central Nagano Prefecture, in the Chūbu region of Japan. As of 1 October 2016, the town had an population of 19,236. Its total area was 169.20 square kilometres, Tatsuno is located in the Ina Valley of south-central Nagano Prefecture, bordered by the Kiso Mountains. The Tenryū River flows through the town, which is surrounded by mountains and is rich in a natural environment and it is takes about 3 hours from Tokyo,2 hours from Nagoya,5 hours from Kyoto by train and equally by car. Part of the town is within the borders of the Enrei Ōjō Prefectural Natural Park, the Yokokawa Dam is located in Tatsuno. Nagano Prefecture Okaya Suwa Shiojiri Minamiminowa Minowa The area of present-day Tatsuno was part of ancient Shinano Province. The village of Inatomi established on April 1,1889 by the establishment of the municipalities system, the neighboring village of Asahi was annexed on April 1,1955, followed by Kawashima on September 30,1956 and Ono n March 31,1961. Tatsuno has five elementary schools and five public middle school operated by the town government. The Shinshu Honan Junior College us also located in Tatsuno, JR East - Chūō Main Line Tatsuno - Shinano-Kawashima - Ono JR Tōkai - Iida Line Haba - Ina-Shimmachi - Miyaki - Tatsuno Chūō Expressway Japan National Route 153 - Waitomo, New Zealand. Matsuo-kyo, one of the most famous places in Japan for fireflies every summer, however, the intentional introduction of non-native fireflies and its negative influence on the native fireflies of Tatsuno were highlighted in an academic journal. Enrei Ōjō Prefectural Natural Park Media related to Tatsuno, Nagano at Wikimedia Commons Official website
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Seika, Kyoto
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Seika is a town located in Sōraku District, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1,2015, the town has a population of 37,492, the total area is 25.68 km2. Seika, although largely agriculturally based, has in recent years become the center of a project, the Kansai Science City. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Matsushita Electric, Kyocera and many companies have facilities in the town. Archaeological records indicate that people have inhabited modern-day Seika since at least the Yayoi period, Seika is home to Inayazuma Castle, where part of the Yamashiro Riots of 1485 took place. The area around Seika has historically considered a cultural corridor between the two ancient capitals of Kyoto and Nara. The area that is now Seika was previously occupied by several agricultural villages, in 1931, the villages of Hōsono, Komada, and Inada merged to form the village of Kawanishi, which in turn merged with the village of Yamadashō to form the village of Seika. In 1955, the village of Seika was incorporated as the town of Seika, beginning in the 1960s, Seika has experienced rapid growth as commuters to Kyoto, Osaka and Nara move into the town. The towns population tripled in the span of 35 years, growing from 10,929 people in 1970 to 34,236 people in 2005, according to the 2005 census, Seika is the fastest-growing municipality in Japan. Seika is located at the tip of Kyoto Prefecture, bordered by the Kizu River to the east. Due to its position adjacent to the Kizu River, the part of Seika has rich. The hilly western and southern parts of Seika, by contrast, are largely residential, Seikas largest peak is Dakeyama, at 259.5 meters. It is located on the west side of Seika near the border of Kyotanabe city, Keihanna Commemorative Park, which includes a large botanical garden, can also be found in the town. Additionally, the Kansai branch of the Diet Library is located in Seika, Seika is home to several large festivals held annually. The Strawberry Hunt Festival is famous and has many visitors, another well-known event is the Igomori Festival, which dates back to 770 A. D. and features a large, blazing torch being carried through the darkness of the night. Seikas main event is the Seika Festival, a fair held every November featuring a large variety of different booths and performances. Several notable temples and shrines are located in Seika, while strawberries are Seikas most famous product, the town is also known for its shrimp taro and green chili peppers. The presence of the Kansai Science City makes research and technology core components of Seikas economy, in addition to the companies with facilities in Seika, companies headquartered in Seika include, Activelink Takako Silex
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Shizukuishi, Iwate
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Shizukuishi is a town located in Iwate District, Iwate Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. As of 1 October 2016, the town had an population of 16,704. The total area of the town was 608.82 square kilometres, Shizukuishi is located in the Ōu Mountains of west-central Iwate Prefecture, bordering Akita Prefecture to the west. Mount Iwate, a volcano, lies just to the north of Shizukuishi. The Ōu Mountains form the boundary to the west as well with Akita Komagatake, another active volcano, the downtown area is located where the Shizukuishi and Kakkonda Rivers meet. Gosho Lake was created in 1981 with the completion of Gosho Dam, the average annual temperature in Shizukuishi is 9.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1469 mm with September as the wettest month, the temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.2 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.7 °C. Per Japanese census data, the population of Shizukuishi peaked around the year 2000, the area of present-day Shizukuishi has been inhabited since the earliest times. Archaeologists have found remains dating to the Japanese Paleolithic period, the area come under the control of the Yamato dynasty during the early Heian period under the campaigns of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, and was part of ancient Mutsu Province. The area was a battlefield during the Former Nine Years War and it eventually came under the control of the Nambu clan, who ruled from Morioka Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. In the Meiji period, the villages of Shizukuishi, Gosho, Nishiyama, kita-Iwate District and Minami-Iwate Districts merged to form Iwate District on March 29,1896. Shizukuishi was raised to town status on December 23,1940, on April 1,1955, Shizukuishi merged with Gosho, Nishiyama and Omyojin, but lost a portion of its territory in a border adjustment with Morioka City on October 1 of the same year. The All Nippon Airways Flight 58 accident occurred over Shizukuishi on July 30,1971, the local economy is based on agriculture, forestry and seasonal tourism. Koiwai Farm, based in Takizawa, is currently the largest privately owned dairy production center in Japan, the farm produces a full range of dairy products distributed throughout the nation. Shizukuishi has ten elementary schools and one middle schools operated by the town government. Koiwai Farm is a dairy and tourist attraction. A number of the buildings have been named National Tangible Cultural Properties. The farm has been used as a location for television dramas
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Tsukuba, Ibaraki
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Tsukuba is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. As of September 2015, the city had an population of 223,151. Its total area is 283.72 square kilometres and it is known as the location of the Tsukuba Science City, a planned science park developed in the 1960s. Located in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, Tsukuba is located to the south of Mount Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture Tsukubamirai Jōsō Shimotsuma Chikusei Sakuragawa Ishioka Tsuchiura Ushiku Ryūgasaki Mount Tsukuba has been a place of pilgrimage since at least the Heian period. During the Edo period, parts of what became the city of Tsukuba were administered by a junior branch of the Hosokawa clan at Yatabe Domain. With the creation of the system after the Meiji Restoration on April 1,1889. On November 30,1987 the town of Yatabe merged with the towns of Ōho and Toyosato. The neighboring town of Tsukuba merged with the city of Tsukuba on January 1,1988, on April 1,2007 Tsukuba was designated a Special cities of Japan with increased autonomy. On May 6,2012, Tsukuba was struck by a tornado caused heavy damage to numerous structures. The storm killed one 14-year-old boy and injured 45 people, the tornado was rated an F-3 by the Japan Meteorological Agency, making it the most powerful tornado to ever hit Japan. The city was closely modeled on other planned cities and science developments, including Brasilia, Novosibirsks Akademgorodok, Bethesda, nevertheless, it should not be called Japans Silicon Valley, simply because the public sector dominates research and development. Japans metropolises also dominate over Tsukuba in terms of corporate headquarters, there is no formal attempt currently to turn Tsukuba into a Silicon Valley style research center. This may be contrasted with formal government support of tech clustering in Taoyuan-Hsinchu in Taiwan, beginning in the 1960s, the area was designated for development. Construction of the city centre, the University of Tsukuba and 46 public basic scientific research began in the 1970s. Tsukuba Science City became operational in the 1980s, the Expo 85 worlds fair was held in the area of Tsukuba Science City, which at the time was still divided administratively between several small towns and villages. Attractions at the event included the 85-metre Technocosmos, which at time was the worlds tallest Ferris wheel. These zones were surrounded by more than 240 private research facilities, the city has an international flair, with about 7,500 foreign students and researchers from as many as 133 countries living in Tsukuba at any one time. Over the past several decades, nearly half of Japans public research, Tsukuba has become one of the worlds key sites for government-industry collaborations in basic research
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Hamamatsu
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Hamamatsu is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of September 1,2015, the city had an population of 789,407, making it the prefectures largest city. The total area was 1,558.06 km2 and it became a city designated by government ordinance on April 1,2007. Hamamatsu is 260 kilometres southwest of Tokyo, Hamamatsu consists of a flat plain and the Mikatahara Plateau in the south, and a mountainous area in the north. It is roughly bordered by Lake Hamana to the west, the Tenryū River to the east, in the Nara period, it became the capital of Tōtōmi Province. During the Sengoku period, Hamamatsu Castle was the home of future Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, Hamamatsu flourished during the Edo period under a succession of daimyō rulers as a castle town, and as a post town on the Tōkaidō. After the Meiji Restoration, Hamamatsu became a short-lived prefecture from 1871 to 1876, Hamamatsu Station opened on the Tōkaidō Main Line in 1889. The same year, in a reform of Japan, Hamamatsu became a town. April 1,1991, The first Hamamatsu International Piano Competition was held, may 1,1994, Act City Hamamatsu opened. October 1,1995, Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments opened, April 1,1996, Hamamatsu is designated a core city by the central government. June 1,1996, Hamamatsu City Fruit Park opened, january 1,1997, Started separated collection of garbage in residential areas. April 1,1997, Hamamatsu is designated as an Omnibus Town, April 1,1998, Act City Musical School opened. April 3,2000, Shizuoka University of Art and Culture opened, July 1,2001, The citys 90th anniversary is commemorated August 1,2002, Launched the conference on Pan-Hamanako Designated City Simulation. April 1,2003, Shizuoka New Kawafuji National High School Competition was held, june 1,2003, Launched Tenryūgawa-Hamanako Region Merger Conference. April 8 – October 11,2004, Pacific Flora 2004 was held at Hamanako Garden Park, inasa District and Iwata District were both dissolved as a result of this merger. Therefore, there are no more left in Shizuoka Prefecture. April 1,2007, Hamamatsu became a city designated by government ordinance by the central government. The climate in southern Hamamatsu is mild with little snowfall in the winter, however, it is windy in winter because of the dry monsoon called Enshū no Karakaze, the climate in northern Hamamatsu is much harsher because of foehn winds
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Toyohashi
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Toyohashi is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of March 2015, the city had an population of 372,710. The total area was 261.86 square kilometres, by area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefectures second-largest city until March 31,2005 when it was surpassed by the city of Toyota, which had merged with six peripheral municipalities. Toyohashi is located in southeastern Aichi Prefecture, and is the capital of the informal Higashi-Mikawa Region of the prefecture and it is bordered by Shizuoka Prefecture to the east, and by Mikawa Bay and the headlands of the Atsumi Peninsula to the west. To the south is the Enshu Bay of the Pacific Ocean, the presence of the warm Kuroshio Current offshore gives the city a temperate climate. The Katahama Jusan-ri Beach in Toyohashi is a sea turtle nesting spot, Aichi Prefecture, Toyokawa Shinshiro Tahara Shizuoka Prefecture, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu Kosai The area around present-day Toyohashi has been inhabited for many thousands of years. Archaeologists have found remains from the Japanese Paleolithic period, which have been carbon dated to more than 10,000 BC along with the bones of Naumann elephants. Numerous remains from the Jomon period, and especially from the Yayoi and Kofun periods have also been found, including many kofun burial mounds. The rising power of the Matsudaira clan and its alliance with Oda Nobunaga eventually neutralized the threat posed by the Imagawa, following the Battle of Odawara in 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered the Tokugawa clan to relocate to the Kantō region and assigned the castle to Ikeda Terumasa. Ikeda developed the castle town and embarked on a massive. However, following the Battle of Sekigahara, he was relocated to Himeji Castle, after the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, Yoshida Castle became the center of Yoshida Domain, a clan fief. The domain was assigned to several different fudai daimyō clans until coming into the possession of the Matsudaira clan in 1752, the final daimyō of Yoshida, Matsudaira Nobuhisa, surrendered the domain to the Meiji government in 1868. In 1869, the name of the domain was changed from Yoshida to Toyohashi. With the establishment of the system under the Meiji government in 1879, Toyohashi Town was created within Atsumi District. Toyohashi Zoo was established in 1899, the town achieved city status in 1906. A tram system was established in 1925, in 1932, Toyohashi expanded its borders by annexing Shimoji Town, Takashi Village, Muroyoshida Village, and Shimokawa Village. Toyohashi suffered considerable damage during the 1944 Tōnankai earthquake, and even more damage during the Toyohashi Air Raid, in 1955, Toyohashi’s geographic extent was expanded again with the annexation of neighboring Maeshiba Village, Futagawa Village, Takatoyo Village, Oitsu Village and Ishimaki Village. Toyohashi achieved core city status in 1999 with increased autonomy from the prefectural government, Mikawa Port is a major port for worldwide trade, and its presence has made Toyohashi the largest import and export hub in Japan for automobiles, in volume terms
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Shintoku, Hokkaido
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Shintoku is a town located in Kamikawa District, Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of 2016, the town has an population of 6,285. The total area is 1,063.79 km², surrounding towns include Sahoro, Shimizu, and Shikaoi. Media related to Shintoku, Hokkaidō at Wikimedia Commons Official website
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Annaka, Gunma
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Annaka is a city located in southwestern Gunma Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. As of February 2015, the city had an population of 58,675. Its total area was 276.31 km², Annaka is located in the southwestern portion of Gunma Prefecture at the very northernmost point of the Kantō Plain, bordered by Nagano Prefecture to the west. The Usui Pass connects Annaka with neighboring Karuizawa, Nagano, the area also prospered from its location on the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto. Post stations located within the borders of modern Annaka were, Itahana-shuku, Annaka-shuku, Matsuida-shuku and Sakamoto-shuku, Annaka Town was created within Usui District, Gunma Prefecture on April 1,1889 with the creation of the municipalities system after the Meiji Restoration. On March 1,1955, Annaka merged with neighboring Haraichi, Isobe, and Itahana towns, and Higashiyokono, Iwanoya, Akima and it was raised to city status on November 1,1958. On March 18,2006, the town of Matsuida, merged with Annaka, Usui District was dissolved as a result of this merger. Annaka is a commercial center and transportation hub. Toho Zinc operates a plant in the city, as does Shin-Etsu Chemical. There are three schools, five middle schools, and fourteen elementary schools in Annaka
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Shimada, Shizuoka
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Shimada is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city, which covers an area of 315.7 square kilometres, had a population in December 2016 of 97,540. Shimada is located in the Shida Plains of west-central Shizuoka Prefecture and it is located on both banks of the Ōi River. The area enjoys a maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild. In the Edo period, Kanaya-juku and Shimada-juku developed as post towns on the Tōkaidō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto, the area was mostly tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate with a daikansho based at a Jinya located within Shimada-juku. The first bridge across the river connected these two towns in 1879, after the Meiji Restoration, during the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period in 1889, Kanaya Town was created within Haibara District, and Shimada Town within Shida District. On April 16,1889, the two towns were connected by rail, with the opening of Shimada Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line, Shimada was elevated to city status on January 1,1948. On January 1,1955, it annexed neighboring Rokugo Village, Otsu Village, Daichō Village, on June 1,1961 it further expanded through annexation of Hatsukura Village. On May 1,2005, the town of Kanaya was merged into Shimada, on April 1,2008, the town of Kawane was also merged into Shimada. On March 15,2012, the city became the municipality, after Tokyo, outside Tōhoku to accept debris from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. The economy of Shimada is primarily agricultural, with tea as the main crop. Light industries of Shimada include factories for the production of automobile components, Shimada has 18 elementary schools, nine middle schools and five high schools, as well as one special education school. Himi, Toyama, Japan, from April 15,1987 Huzhou, Zhejiang, China, from May 1987 Brienz, Switzerland, from August 10,1986 Richmond, California, United States, there is currently a student exchange program between Shimada and Richmond
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Iwakuni
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Iwakuni is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Iwakuni was formerly the town of the Iwakuni han, which was formed by Lord Hiroie Kikkawa after he was banished there for supporting the defeated shogun. The Kikkawa clan ruled the han during the Edo period, the han was originally assessed at 30 thousand koku, and later,60 thousand. Iwakuni han prospered for 300 years up until the Meiji Restoration, before being re-founded with the same name following the mergers in 2006, the city was first founded on April 1,1940. On March 20,2006, Iwakuni absorbed the towns of Kuga, Mikawa, Miwa, Nishiki, Shūtō and Yū, located at 34° N, 132° E, Iwakuni is in the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture, bordering the Seto Inland Sea. As of August 1,2016, the city has an population of 137,128. The total area is 873.72 km², Iwakuni is part of the Seto Inland Sea industrial area. Petroleum is an industry with Nippon Oil’s Marifu refinery producing 127,000 barrels per day. Pulp is also produced in Nippon Paper’s Iwakuni mill using a new process called “methane fermentation treatment” which requires almost no energy. Other main industries include fibers and spinning, petrochemicals, and paper, the renkon is the principal agricultural product and is cultivated in the Hasuda field which is in the Ozu area, located near Minami Iwakuni station. Shin-Iwakuni Station on the Sanyo Shinkansen provides access to high-speed rail transportation, Iwakuni Station on the Sanyo Main Line is about 45 minutes from Hiroshima Station, and is in the center of the city. Other stations on that line are Minami Iwakuni, Fuju, the JR Gantoku Line links Iwakuni Station to Tokuyama and points beyond, and serves Nishi Iwakuni, Kawanishi and Hashirano stations within the Iwakuni. The Nishikigawa Railway Seiryu Line has six stations in Iwakuni, including Kawanishi Station, the Sanyo Highway carries automobile traffic to and from Iwakuni. National highways 2,187,188 and 189 bring local traffic to nearby cities, a civilian passenger terminal was built at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and completed in 2012. Scheduled daily commercial flights to Tokyo started December 13,2012, the city of Iwakuni has 39 elementary schools,19 junior high schools, and nine high schools. One high school, Iwakuni-Kogyo, is the alma mater of Shinji Mori who is a Major League Baseball player with the Tampa Bay Rays, Iwakuni also has two vocational schools, a junior college, and no universities. Tourists from both Japan and overseas who visit Hiroshima and Miyajima often extend their travels to include Iwakuni, the famous Kintai Bridge is the citys most popular sightseeing spot. The Kintai Bridge spans the Nishiki River and was first constructed in 1673 by Hiroyoshi Kikkawa, the bridge stood until September 14,1950 when it was destroyed by the typhoon “Kijiya”
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Misawa, Aomori
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Misawa is a city located in eastern Aomori Prefecture in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. As of 1 October 2016, the city had an population of 39,649. The total area of the city was 119.87 square kilometres, Misawa is the location of a large military base, Misawa Air Base, which is under joint operation of the United States Air Forces 35th Fighter Wing, and Japan Air Self-Defense Forces 3rd Fighter Wing. It is also an important US base for intelligence and related activities. The city population figures do not include the estimated 10,000 American military personnel, Misawa is located in the flatlands on the southern shore of Lake Ogawara on the east coast of Aomori Prefecture, facing the Pacific Ocean. The nearest large city is Hachinohe which is 30 to 40 minutes away by car, the surrounding area is mostly rural and scenic. There is some limited nightlife, mostly concentrated around the American air base, Tokyo is an hour away by air, about 3 and a half hours by train, and about 10–12 hours by car. Though short, autumn is beautiful with pleasant temperatures, late-blooming flowers, winter gets serious in early December, peaks in January and February, and starts fading near the end of March. Strong winds often intensify the cold temperatures, snowfall is erratic, however even the heaviest snowfalls can melt quickly. Icy roads are the concern as the sunshine will often melt the ice and then as afternoon temperatures cool down. As the ice and snow clear and the ground dries, dust storms become a hazard near farm fields, in early spring, the winds switch and come from the east off the ocean. Thick sea fog is common in the morning or early evening, may is usually quite pleasant with warm temperatures. The onset of summer brings the rainy season. This normally begins in mid-June and continues for a period of time. However, it normally clears out around mid to late July, the end of July through August can get quite hot. The city has a maritime climate characterized by cool summers. The average annual temperature in Misawa is 9.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1172 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.6 °C, numerous Jōmon period remains have been discovered within the borders of Misawa, including within the borders of Misawa Air Base
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